King of Swaziland renames state as eSwatini

Swaziland’s King Mswati III has stated that he will rename the country as eSwatini, an unexpected announcement on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the small African state’s independence.

– African countries on getting independence reverted to their ancient names before they were colonized. So from now on, the country will be officially known as the Kingdom of eSwatini – the king said.

According to him, Swaziland is the only country to keep the name from the colonial past and is now to be called the Kingdom of eSwatini, which means “place of the Swazi” in the Swazi language.

The name Swaziland combines Swazi and English.

The country, located between South Africa and Mozambique, gained independence in 1968 after being a British protectorate for more than 60 years.

King Mswati III has been in power since 1986. He is a regular target of criticism due to his luxurious lifestyle, which contrasts with the poverty the people of the country live in, as well as due to human rights violation.

Swaziland

eSwatini

Mswati III

place of the Swazi